United fans -still the greatest, wherever they're from.
This was something that, during my early to mid twenties I always used to dread. That’s because, in order, my answers would have been ‘a student, Cardiff, Man Utd.’
For the millions of working non-Utd fans I was as bad as it gets! A tax dodging glory hunter!
However, I was neither. Well, that’s a lie. I was dodging taxes (through no fault of my own – that’s just the way that the UK education system is set up) but I certainly wasn’t a glory hunter. It just so happened that glory had, through fate’s will, hunted me out the day I decided that Utd were the team for me.
All of my friends were Liverpool fans and a small minority were fans of our local club – Cardiff City. However, during the early 1990s they were in the bottom divisions and weren’t on TV. We, as skint young men, were too poor and scared to brave the terraces of Ninian Park. Christ, we were too young to go it alone! For that very reason we, like many other boys in the South Wales area, followed a TV team. Liverpool were the glory team of the late 80s and, as such, all of my friends chose them as their team.
I was different though. I wanted to be different. I heard that Liverpool’s rivals were Utd. so I decided to follow them. And that, as they say, was that. I was a Manc, a red, a Red Devil.
Just because I’m not from Manchester doesn’t devalue my support of them however. I truly resent any accusation of the kind. As a friend of mine once said (admittedly about Jamie Carragher) if you cut me open I’d ‘bleed red’.
I remember the 1990 Cup Final, the 1993 Premier League and the 1994 double. I was in my early teens for these so my supporting was relatively naive and innocent – limiting itself to cheers followed by a little gloat to friends.
It was as I got older that my supporting evolved into a defence of my position. I knew the reserve team, I knew the youth teams, I could reel off any Utd. stat you wanted. This was because I was becoming aware of the glory hunter title and, quite frankly, it pissed me off! I felt that I had to defend my position as a Welsh Man Utd. fan so I revised United and I become a ‘statto’ to prove my support.
United became, as I entered my late teens, who I was. I would ensure that I wore one of my many shirts on matchday as I listened to matches on 5Live or waited, with baited breath, for CEEFAX’s latest score page to refresh. I began to wear my collar upright at all times, regardless of the shirt. I implored my parents to only buy SHARP electrical goods. Shit, I even believed Fergie when he said they couldn’t see each other in their grey shirts!
Even the 1999 treble was tainted with a feeling of shame. I remember that as my greatest ever sporting year and I will never be able to hear or remember the words ‘and Solskjaer has won it’ without getting goosebumps! But, as I went off to university the following year I was aware, almost ashamed of the fact that, I was going to have to battle off all ‘glory hunter’ accusations.
And I shouldn’t feel shame supporting my club. I’ve been to Old Trafford several times to see them. My debut game was 3rd December 1994 vs. Norwich City. The night previous I was playing five a side football and, without realising, broke my metatarsal (before Beckham had told the world what a metatarsal was!). I spent the following day hobbling around Manchester flowing through seas of red, looking on in awe at the sheer volume of fans that hit the stadium to see ‘Five Cantonaaaaaaaas’ score for a 1-0 victory.
It was only as I hit my mid-twenties that I realised that it didn’t matter where you were from. You could support, with the same ferocity as a Mancunian United fan, Man Utd. I could delight in their victories and wallow in their losses with equal passion. I did and still do. The first thing I do every morning is check the BBC gossip column on my phone in the hope that Sneijder has been spotted at Old Trafford, whenever I play Football Manager I manage United – never anyone else – and live out my dream of managing the greatest team ever, I’ve realised that being a United fan isn’t where you’re from, it’s who you are.
Follow me on Twitter @Matthew_James7 and Red Flag Flying High @RFFH
Manchester united football club has a certain romance attached to it that no other clubs have. A policy of youth instilled by Matt busby and a real mentality of winning in the face of adversity and overcoming doubters, like we did after Munich, as well as a never say die attitude. All these factors have been with us since the 50’s and the busby babes. This automatically attracts fans far and wide. Its a very special club and one that’s makes its an honor to support, manc or no manc the love we feel for united cannot be matched. United is greater than any religion.
Over the internet a lot of rubbish gets talked by jealous misinformed fans but in reality here in manchester, united and city fans have a lot more friendly banter which is constant and ongoing. They say we are all from london, we say they are all from stockport. However, one thing we dont knock is the loyalty to each others clubs. In recent years city fans have had numerous oppurtunites to prove their loyalty which they have with flying colors, which proves they are a big club and now probably deserve the success they are due. Us reds have been fortunate that our loyalty hasnt been put to the test for a long time. However, when it did we showed no signs of failure. The best atmospheres at OT i remember were in the 80’s when we were pretty crap in all honesty. The best example of mufc fans loyalty was in 1974-75 season when we spent the single season in div2. The attendance records we set in that division still stand today. We were taking 30-40,000 fans to away games, consistently outnumbering the home team. It really was something special in a dark age in our history, but i suppose according to minty, steve and co they were all glory hunters from malaysia.
Well minty will tell you that your talking shite when you say Utd were taking 30-40k to away games it’s total bollocks why you feel you want to say that god knows!! LOL keep off the drugs pal they will rot your brain! The attendance records from that division are set by Sunderland (Highest and higest av) by the way not Utd! The glory hunters were not there then as they are a new phenonamon that has apeared with money and TV rights allthough the plastics here will tell you the watched games that were not even on TV in the UK cos thats what lying plastics do!
Well said mate. Well said. Completely agree with you and understand how you feel, its the same for me though I am from India. United till I die. United till WE die. Because we ARE United. 🙂 Let them call us whatever they want glory hunters or manure, they are simply jealous of our success. Not arrogant, just better. Proved it last season, proved it for the last 2 decades in fact. Will prove it time and again for many years to come.
I’m not saying anything about Utd I have no problem with them at all. My problem is with Glory hunters for any team and not even that much those abroad but those in the UK they disgust me, they are the reason football is dying in the lower leagues. Why would someone from Cardiff follow Utd I’ll say again because he’s a Glory Hunter!
Because he likes Manchester United?! Lol! Look, every team is different, they have different playing styles, different players, different management, different owners, hell even different kits. He may, on the whole like another team for any of those reasons, you cannot question WHY he supports another club and not his hometown club. Yes he was born there and grew up there so that association is there, but that wasnt his choice was it? It was coincidence right? But the club he feels comfortable supporting is located elsewhere, how does it matter? In the age where the planet is just a global village, you really cant hold it against him to support a club just because he was born there. Im sure he still has a soft spot for Cardiff, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s bound to it for life! Say he moves outside England to say the USA. Will you still call him a glory hunter if he supports United over Cardiff simply because he was born there? What if barring United, he supported Everton, a mid table team, would you still say he’s a glory hunter then just because he doesnt support Cardiff?
My god I don’t believe this! The KEY here is that if Cardiff were as successful as Utd were through the last three decades (or any club it doesn’t matter) and then Utd were in Cardiff’s position he WOULD NOT WANT TO KNOW THEM what ever style they played or what kits they wore! He would instead follow Cardiff if they were the massively successful team at the time the fact that it’s Utd is irrelevant, that is just a name to him yes he’ll tell you he supported them before this success but so will every one here, every glory hunter here has a excuse for their glory hunting.
The name and history of a club and not the success, which are different things don’t mater to these people only the trophies, because without them he has no reason what so ever to follow them (NO CONECTIONS AT ALL) and why would he they would be just the same as hundreds of other clubs around the country. It is because the win he follows them.
I sympathize with those real Utd fans that have been priced out over the years or sit next to these moaning photo taking cretins they know exactly what I am saying I know it is part of the modern game but don’t expect me to like it or have anything but contempt for those glory hunting fans whoever they follow. They are just as responsible for the state of football as SKY, The Premier League et.al. Now I’ll ask you is that what being a true supporter is all about???? Because if you think it is then you are not one and you can keep it!
But he didnt pick Everton
Great article. Mancunians should be proud of the fact that it is their local team, but not to the point of excluding the global base who signficantly contribute to building the club’s profile and finances.
“Outsiders” such as myself need to respect the club’s local flavour and characteristcs (most notably the Academy), and most importantly the hisory.
I find myself fully agreeing with the article…..and I was born and raised in Manchester, and have spent MOST my life in the city. The simple point is not all Liverpools ‘lifelong fans’ are from Liverpool. I’d bet a fair number of the ‘supporters’ aquired by Liverpool in the 70’s and 80’s weren’t from the area (there’s at least ONE I know of, a close friend of mine)…..thus making THEM glory-hunters. other supporters only call non-mancunian United fans simply because we have the success atm. Is it not possible that all these non-mancs who support United love beautiful football, agree with the United philosophy, support the team based on our history? there’s many reasons to support United if you’re not from Manchester
The team is made up of many players who aren’t from Manchester. The manager isn’t a Manc by birth. So why do the fans HAVE to be from Manchester? Fans from all over the world love United because it stirs a passion in them, which no other team can.
And finally, it’s not our fault that United happen to win trophies. I’m sure most of the fans would continue to support United even when they don’t win anything.
Mintys is a bitter bertie from stockport. And they say there not obsessed?
It they didn’t win then they would not have fans such as Mathew, Vishnu & his pals from Indian and Singapore GLORY HUNTERS
Man Utd fan from South Wales who started watching Man Utd when they just were becoming successful. Not a glory fan eh? No wonder your kind are often mocked by real fans, even the Man Utd fans from Manchester though they do appreciate that without all the foreigners who glory support them, they wouldn’t have millions to throw away at Ashley Young.
BTW, you’re not a ‘Manc’. You are a Taff. Deal with it. STID
Will you going to be Swansea to cheer on Manchester United when they play at the Liberty? Its only down the road after all. No I’ll watch it on TV. W*NK£R.
Not jealous at all, If you need to associate yourself with success by following a global brand on TV rather than knowing what its like to be a true fan through bad times and good times then that says more about your outlook on life.
Me? Cardiff City till I die
Never liked Cardiff as a club but I respect that their fans support them as it is their local team. Shame this Taff doesn’t do likewise.
Hahaha, loving this mock-the-glory-hunter thing, it’s all ridiculous.
I’m from Indonesia and I support Man United, am I a glory hunter? Well, if I were, I’d be supporting Chelsea when they won the double, then United again, then Barcelona, Inter for a year, then Barcelona again. Let’s see who’s gonna win the league next year, I might have to look for their jersey again.
I wonder if this so called ‘local lad’ would hate it if I support his team, who the hell am I? Is he gonna kick the ‘non local’ to support his ‘local’ team I wonder.
This dude is just jealous that probably his team:
1. Don’t get as much as worldwide coverage on TV.
2. Are nowhere near european cup zone on the table
3. Are simply s*it
So what if everyone loves Man United, they have a special reason for it, may it be how they play to how cute Beackham was, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re not switching team, it’s not glory hunter.
Wow, now people are prohibited to support other than their local team. The end is nigh. Lol.